Can Different Alcoholic Beverages Trigger Specific Emotions?

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Alcohol is known to affect a person’s mood. But the type of alcohol individuals consume may trigger specific emotions, suggest new findings published in BMJ Open, reports Medscape.

For the study, researchers reviewed information self-reported by nearly 30,000 respondents ages 18 to 34 from the 2016 Global Drug Survey (GDS). Offered in 11 languages, the online survey assessed alcohol and drug use among adults older than 16 years old.

Scientists asked participants about their consumption of beer, spirits and red and white wine in the previous 12 months and the emotions they associated with each type of alcoholic beverage they drank.

Findings showed that over half of respondents associated consuming spirits with energy (58.4 percent) and confidence (59.1 percent) while others reported that imbibing spirits made them feel sexy (42.4 percent). Nearly half of respondents also linked indulging in spirits with feeling ill (47.8 percent) and as a trigger for aggression (29.8 percent). In addition, 52.8 percent of participants revealed that drinking red wine and beer made them feel relaxed. (Interestingly, 60.1 percent of folks in the study said red wine was more likely than any other spirit to cause fatigue.)

Researchers also noted that consuming large amounts of alcohol could increase the number and frequency of emotions. For example, heavy drinkers experienced more negative emotions more often. What’s more, those dependent on alcohol associated emotions more frequently with spirits regardless of whether they drank at home or in social settings.

Scientists said the findings suggest that people inadvertently select drinks known to generate negative emotions because they desire the positive emotions associated with these types of drinks. Additionally, study authors observed that these conclusions confirm previous research that shows some use alcohol as a way to cope rather than just for enjoyment.

Researchers concluded that additional studies are needed to evaluate why people choose specific types of alcohol in certain settings, the mood of individuals prior to drinking, how much liquor folks consume and the effect of advertisements for alcoholic beverages on the way drinkers perceive their mood.